After casually listening to film music for years, I noticed a dearth of film score reviewers or discussion, and took up the mantle myself. There are, of course, many other great film music critics out there, but the number pales in comparison to the size of the genre’s fandom. Dozens of excellent film scores may release each month, and many voices are necessary to amplify and make known these works.
My goal is not to review each new film score release, or even each great new release: there are simply too many. When combined with the fact that I won’t review a film score unless I’ve first seen the film, it becomes an impossible task. Instead, I aim to discuss a variety of film scores across time and of varying quality, to help raise up new voices, bring light to old classics, or simply write about something I find interesting. I do work full time outside of this endeavor, so unfortunately I cannot devote a complete work load to this project, making updates a weekly, rather than daily, occurrence. With that said, check back every week to see what’s new, or follow The Film Scorer on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for regular updates. In addition, follow along with The Film Scorer Podcast at your favorite podcast service for regular composer interviews.
That said, the site is now open to outside contributors. So if you’re interested in writing about film music, just scroll down to learn more.
The Film Scorer Podcast
My newest endeavor is The Film Scorer Podcast – a new series I’ve launched focusing largely on interviews with film and other media composers. We dive into their composing process, the films they’ve scored, and the mind of a film composer. You can find it directly on my site, on iTunes, on Spotify, or virtually anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Submissions
The Film Scorer has finally opened its doors to third-party contributions! If you’re interested in submitting a review, article, or analysis focused around film music, get in touch with The Film Scorer, either through social media, email, or the direct contact information below.
Types of Articles on This Site
Reviews: I try to review one film score per week, and I will only review a score after I have first seen the film. A score’s purpose is first to work with the film itself; if you cannot first discuss it in the context of the film, you miss why the music was written in the first place. I also enjoy listening to film music on its own. As such, my reviews will often focus on how the score works in the context of the film, but will also discuss how it works on its own. Some notable examples are Pitch Black and Rosemary’s Baby.
Monthly Best-of Lists: Some months can have nearly one hundred film scores release, making it nearly impossible for a fan to keep up-to-date with what’s new. As a result, I try to listen to every score that releases in a given month and collate them into one write-up. Given how new these scores are, occasionally releasing before the film or having films that are nearly impossible to watch, I will rarely have seen the films themselves. These writeups discuss only the music, although they may briefly discuss how the music works alongside the snippets of plot that are known. These lists generally contain five scores (there are often more than that worthy of being written about each month) and focus almost exclusively on scores of American or Western European films.
Yearly Best-of Lists: As with monthly lists, the yearly best-of lists are based upon scores that I have listened to, not necessarily films I have seen – there are simply too many film’s released to make watching each one possible. I have also started compiling retroactive lists – writeups for years that predate my writing on film music.
Short and Sweet: This is a series written exclusively about short film music. In it, I discuss the films themselves as well as the music within. The form is very important to me, and I believe to all film, but again I have noticed a shortage of criticism on short film; I aim to do my small part to change that. I watch each film before discussing it and am always open to watching more: if you have a short film, don’t be afraid to contact me and send it.
Interviews: I perform a small amount of interviews with film composers, often by text, in order to give them more of a voice and discuss their craft.
Contact
Want to get in touch with me about potential reviews, interviews, or just to tell me how much you love the site? Feel free to reach out by filling out the form below or sending a direct email.